Thursday, July 17, 2014

What my belly looks like 9 months after birth

Here are some belly pics showing how my body looks roughly 9 months after pregnancy. This is my fourth pregnancy. I do not count calories or restrict servings. I've done some basic exercise to close a diastasis recti and started a 25 minute routine exercise program last month.

FAQ

What have I done for my belly?

In the immediate post-partum healing period (roughly birth to 6 weeks) I wear a belly binder. You can be simple or complex when it comes to binding. I just bought the cheap binder at Motherhood Maternity and used it really well for 2 weeks after my births, then sporadically after that.

If you have an unresolved Diastasis Recti (a gap running down your abdomen due to pregnancy) then I recommend learning about lifestyle, position, and exercise changes that will support closing the gap before you develop increased issues such as hernias.

This book provides some basic lifestyle suggestions and easy to follow exercises. (Or in other words, positional movements, not like breathless, heart thumping, exercise at the gym.)

If you have a severe gap or one that won't close, you probably are also dealing with undiagnosed pelvic instability and other core issues. This book is amazing, I promise. I try to tell everyone to read it if they have pelvic issues. Incidentally, more on managing back pain here.

Other female issues can arise along with the belly and pelvis. Uterine prolapse and bladder and rectum traumas or prolapses can occur. Before you pump out thousands of kegels, please, please, PLEASE learn all that you can from this pioneering woman. You don't know squat.

What about wrapping?

It sounds popular and maybe even fun. I'm not going to tell people what luxury to cut out of their lives. But, I would caution against using these wraps if you suspect you have a toxin accumulation or other excretion system imbalance. (By that, I mean problems with your liver, kidneys, colon, skin, immune system...). Especially if breastfeeding, you might mobilize or trigger something and dump into your milk. A lot of the wrap companies seem to greenwash, using terms that sound healthy, but a quick look at the ingredients show otherwise. Again. I'm sitting here eating chocolate covered pineapple chunks from Costco. Not trying to rain on parades. I just find myself a bit cautious and skeptical when it comes to wrapping so I don't endorse it.

What about other natural options?

I once researched and learned that the homeopathic remedy graphites was supposed to help with the appearance of stretch marks. I have 3 bottles in my cabinet right now. I can't ever remember to take them, so I have nothing to report.

The essential oils frankincense, helicrysum, melissa, and cypress might all assist with skin trauma. Those mamas like me who experienced severe and immediate skin trauma might want to research Ehler-danlos Syndrome and MTHFR.